What is the life expectancy for someone with dementia?

How long will you live after a dementia diagnosis?

It's sad but true that people with dementia usually have shorter lives. However, exactly how much shorter their life will be varies enormously from person to person. Here's the key information about life expectancy, but remember, these are only general statistics so think carefully about whether you really want to know, before you read on.

In a nutshell

Life expectancy is one of the key issues that someone diagnosed with dementia, or their friends and family, want to know, but there is no simple answer. Dementia is often called a 'life limiting' condition although people have been known to live with it for as long as 26 years after they first start showing symptoms. Generally speaking, the life expectancy of a person with dementia depends on the type of dementia they are diagnosed with, their age and health. Most studies seem to show that the average number of years someone will live with dementia after being diagnosed is around ten years. It's important not to take this number – or any other – as fact, but to use it as guidance, and a way to prepare and make every day count.

Facts about the future

Studies into the main types of dementia have revealed the following about life expectancy

Alzheimer's disease
General life expectancy for someone with Alzheimer's is around 8-12 years from diagnosis although this does depend on age and health. If you were relatively fit and healthy on diagnosis you could live considerably longer than this. People who are diagnosed around the age of 60-65 tend to decline more slowly than those who are aged 80 or over. But with the right care and treatment, a fit and healthy 80 year old could still live into their nineties.

Did you know? A US study of 1,300 men and women with Alzheimer's showed life expectancy to range from one year to 26 years from when their symptoms first appeared

Vascular dementia

Since vascular dementia is often linked to strokes people who are living with it can be in poorer general health than those with other types of dementia. Studies have shown their average life expectancy to be around four years after diagnosis, though their eventual decline is often linked to further strokes.

Dementia with Lewy bodies

After diagnosis, the average lifespan of someone with dementia with Lewy bodies was found in one study to be around 5-7 years after onset. However people have been known to live between two and 20 years with it, depending on their age, and other medical conditions they may have, such as Parkinson's disease which can be related to dementia with Lewy bodies.

The average life span for someone with frontotemporal dementia (sometimes called Pick's disease) is around eight years from when their symptoms first started, but once again, this can vary dramatically from person to person. Many people have lived for more than ten years with this type of dementia.

Young-onset dementia

Almost everyone who develops one of the main forms of dementia will live longer if they are generally in good health or are relatively young when diagnosed, that is, in their mid-sixties rather than mid-eighties.

However this is sadly not always the case when someone is diagnosed with young-onset dementia. For reasons which are still being scientifically investigated, young-onset dementia seems to progress more quickly. For example, a person who is diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia between the ages of 30-50 could live, on average, around two years less than someone diagnosed in their sixties or seventies. However, this may be because younger people are often diagnosed when their condition is more advanced so the disease seems to progress more quickly than it actually does.

Good to know

Survival rates for all dementias are increasing all the time. One of the main reasons for this is that more people are being diagnosed earlier and receiving better care. So it's quite possible that you – or the person you're caring for – could live longer than any of these general estimates might suggest.

How to get a better idea of life expectancy for your individual situation

Whilst every person is different, and every dementia journey is different, if you want more clarity about how long you, or your loved one might live, studies suggest that the main factors to consider are:

1. Age (very elderly people tend to have a shorter life expectancy)
2. General health when diagnosed (ie, if they are otherwise in good health or are also coping with other medical conditions).
3. Which form of dementia they have (as you can see from the information above, some progress more rapidly than others).
4. How much they can still do for themselves day to day. Experts call this 'functional ability,' and it seems to matter more than 'cognitive ability'. In other words, people who continue to try doing things for themselves, even if their dementia is quite advanced, tend to live longer than those who stop.

*Other factors, such as whether you are married, living at home or your level of education don't seem to have an impact.

Comments

16 thoughts on “What is the life expectancy for someone with dementia?”

why are efforts being made to extend the life of a person living with AD/Dementia...they live in a fog, are usually in a confused state of "misery".....so, to whose advantage is it to watch your loved one continue to struggle and suffer? It would be kinder to let nature take it's course and not interfere...no matter what age the diagnosis is presented....as the disease progresses there is no joy for anyone...the patient, the family, the caregivers, just increasing sadness.

I agree. At the moment i will do everything i can to help my o/h have quality of life and fight this. There will come a tipping point though. I wont be having him dragged to the bitter end with feeding tubes etc.

I absolutely agree!....I have just turned 42 and am a grandmother,an my own mother has just turned 58 and has full blown later stage frontal temporal dementia....The whole care systems aim is to keep mum living as close to her normal life as possible,which means keeping her living alone at home and still having independence....To us,that all sounds great but my mum isnt the same person therefore we constantly worry when she realises shes got a bus pass,and get phone calls at all hours to say she has opened a door somewhere.....I dont know the answer but I know if my mum had all of her brain function,she would be mortified and disgusted.

Hello, there were many sources used to formulate this article, most of the research was from the following sources; WebMD , TheBrain.Mcgill, Alzheimer Research UK, The NHS UK and Caregiver. I hope you find these sources useful. If you would like further information please don't hesitate to get in touch!

I am 41 and extremely terrified that I have early-onset dementia. I am noticing a variety of behavioral changes that seem to fit a lot of the symptoms- increased apathy, depression, bouts of late afternoon aggression, fits of irritation/aggravationx difficulty following conversations, stopping speechbmid sentence, constant pacing from room to room trying to locate objects, reduced desire to keep up with daily hygiene, among others. I can tell my family think i am overreacting. My GP seems sure it isn't dementia, but I don't trust his rational. He at least referred me to a neurologist. I am concerned and feel no support. I am scared to drive yet I work as a food delivery driver, and they just need me there so badly. This is insane...

Hi Mitch, I can understand why you would feel scared, though the best thing to do at this stage is to try and not panic as panicking may make you feel more irritable and down. It is good that your GP has referred you to a Neurologist, they will be able to assess you and give you a conclusive answer. I would advise that at this stage try not worry too much or feel overwhelmed, wait to see how things go with the Neurologist before jumping to conclusions. Though I understand this is easier said than done, maybe you might benefit from speaking the a Dementia UK, who have trained staff you can contact on 0800 888 6678.

I imagine that the worry will only make things worse. Perhaps, whilst waiting for neurology, get some proper counselling. Either to help come to terms with a diagnosis or to help unravel all the trauma thats being caused by the fear of diagnosis.

Would really appreciate if articles like this provided sources for their information. I'm a 36 year old with Parkinson's and, it seems, Dementia. It's nice to hear I should get off my ass. I just wish I wasn't so tired all of the time.